Dust removal system for surface treating machines



W. E. HOLT April 10, 1956 DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR SURFACE TREATING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 21, 1950 INVENTOR flfiYW ATTORNEY April 10, 1956 w. E. HOLT 2,740,984

DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR SURFACE TREATING MACHINES Filed Feb. 21, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 &

INVENTOR y Mia? Z 170/2 I%TTORNEY April 10, 1956 w. E. HOLT 2,740,984

DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR SURFACE TREATING MACHINES Filed Feb. 21, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 /0 5 INVENTOR F/G 4 BY h H/l'am lfi o/z Mama/4..

/ ATTORNEY United States Patent DUST REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR SURFACE TREATING MACHINES William E. Holt, Oakland, Calif.

Application February 21, 1950, Serial No. 145,423

3 Claims. (Cl. 15361) This invention relates in general to improvements in the construction and operation of all purpose surface treating machines, and more particularly, in the construction and operation of rug and carpet conditioning machines.

Machines embodying the present invention are of the general type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,001,099 and comprise a wheeled carriage tiltably supporting a housing on which a motor is mounted for driving a rotary surface treating element enclosed by the housing.

In accordance with the present invention, machines of the general character described are provided with special provisions for adapting the same for an improved method of rug and carpet conditioning. In such operations, a rotary brush is operated at a high speed for combing out or carding the rug or carpet pile to raise it to an upright position. At the same time, a powerful vacuum action draws the dirt from the roots of the pile strands. This operation is followed by a wet shampooing and scrubbing operation to remove grime and grease at the base of the pile. After shampooing, the rug conditioning machine is provided with a wet brush and operated at a slower speed to straighten and raise the pile which has become twisted from the rotating action of the wet scrubbing brush. Any loose dirt remaining after the scrubbing is picked up by the vacuum action.

In accordance with the present invention, machines for such operations are provided with a two-speed detachably mounted drive motor having means for raising or lowering the motor to tighten or slacken a drive belt, and permitting shifting of the drive belt between different pairs of drive pulleys. In cooperation therewith, a pick-up plate is mounted on the tiltable housing in a manner atfording a constant relation to the surface being treated regardless of the amount of brush wear, and a brush comb is located at a position on the housing facilitating separation and removal of matter collecting on the rotary brush. For such use, the machine is also provided with an independently driven high speed motor and exhaust fan unit mounted for easy removal when it is desired to connect the vacuum system of the machine to a central vacuum plant outlet, such as is now incorporated in modern hotels.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a rug and carpet conditioning machine constructed in accordance with the invention, the machine housing being shown in section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, the driving connections being shown in broken lines, and the supporting undercarriage included in full lines to more clearly illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the motor exhaust fan unit;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the rear side portion of the machine as modified for use with a central vacuum plant; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the invention is illustrated ice as embodied in the construction of a rug and carpet conditioning machine having an undercarriage 10 formed with a forked front end carrying an axle 11 on which is mounted a pair of front wheels 12. The rear upwardly inclined section of the undercarriage is supported by a swivel mounted rear wheel 13. The undercarriage tiltably supports a housing 15 having a pair of depending side plates 16 carrying bearings mounted on the axle 11. The housing top plate 17 is stepped at both ends, with the forward end curved to form a cover 18 for the rotary surface treating element, in this case a cylindrical brush 19, carried by a main shaft 20.

The main shaft 20 is rotatably mounted on the side plates of the drum cover section, with one end projecting beyond one side plate and carrying a high speed grooved pulley 22 and a slow speed pulley 23 on its projecting end. The lower edge of the drum cover is formed by a rubber apron 24.

The surface treating element 19 is preferably driven by a two-speed repulsion induction type electric motor 25 (e. g. 200 or 900 R. P. M.) tiltably mounted on the housing 15 through a transversely extending pivot pin 26 passing through a motor bracket 27 and a housing mount 28. The motor can be raised or lowered about the axis of the pivot pin 26 by turning a hand wheel 30 on a vertical adjusting screw 31 passing through stationary nuts on a motor bracket 32 and the housing. A spring coil 33 opposes any downward movement of the bracket 32. The operation of the motor 25 is controlled by a switch box 34 on the motor housing. The motor shaft 29 operates through a gear unit 36 to drive a high speed pulley 37 and slow speed pulley 38. A V- shaped drive belt 39 is arranged to extend between either the high speed pulleys 22, 37 or between the slow speed pulleys 23, 38. The motor is lowered by turning the wheel 30 to slacken the drive belt suificiently to permit the belt to be replaced or shifted to the desired set of pulleys. The wheel 30 is then loosened to permit the spring 33 to raise the motor to secure the desired belt tension.

The housing 15 is provided with a rearwardly tapering dust conduit 40 on its underside spaced above the undercarriage 10. The front edge of the conduit has a trough shaped pick-up plate 41 hingedly connected thereto at 42 and extending laterally to the housing side plates 16. The front rounded edge of the plate 41 is thickened and located adjacent to the periphery of the rotary brush 19. This hinge connection permits the plate 41 to maintain the same position relative to the surface being treated regardless of the extent of brush wear or the degree of tilt of the housing 15. A stop member 44 secured to the undercarriage 10 limits the downward movement of the pick-up plate, while a spring 45 extending between the pick-up plate and the axle 11 tends to move the plate towards the stop member at all times.

The rear end of the dust conduit 40 has a cleanout plate 47 on its underside and opens through an opening in the housing top plate into the suction intake of the housing 50 of an exhaust fan unit 51 which includes a high speed electric motor, e. g. 7500 R. P. M., having a separate detachable power connection 49 to the switch box 34. The combined motor-exhaust fan unit is detachably connected to the housing 50, so that the unit can be readily removed therefrom and the side of the housing blanked off with an imperforate closure plate 53, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, when it is desired to use a central vacuum system, such as now in use in hotels, etc., for creating the machine vacuum. Normally however the exhaust fan housing 50 has an outlet pipe 54, to the upper end of which a goose neck pipe 55 is detachably connected for carrying a dust proof bag (not shown). When a central vacuum system is used, the

fitting 55 is replaced by a special fitting 56, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to permit the attachment thereto of a flexible hose connection leading to the central source of suction.

As shown in Fig. 1, the brushing efficiency of the machine is increased by forming a tapered extension of the housing top plate within the drum cover to define a brush comb 60, which contacts the ends of the brush tufts to remove therefrom any material tending to otherwise cling to the tufts. The brush comb is located above an intermediate portion of the pick-up plate 41, so that the separated material will be instantaneously removed through the vacuum system of the machine.

In moving the machine, the rotary brush is raised off the floor, as shown in Fig. 1, and the pick-up plate 41 will contact the stop 44. The position of the housing relative to the undercarriage is determined by the position of a rod 65 hingedly connected at its lower end to the housing 15 and at its upper end to a handle 66. The handle is pivotally mounted on a ratchet plate 67 carried by the tubular member 68, by which the operator directs the machine through hand grips (not shown). A suitable spring pressed pawl 69 on the handle locks the handle in the desired position relative to the ratchet plate 67. When the machine is in use, the handle 66 is raised to raise the rear end of the housing and depress the surface treating element 19 into the desired degree of contact with the surface being treated. The pick-up plate 41 contacts with that surface regardless of the extent of brush wear and insures removal of all of the material swept up by the brush as well as rendering more effective the action of the vacuum system of the machine. The utilization of a separate high speed motor-exhaust fan unit insures a highly effective vacuum system at either of the operating speeds of the main motor.

I claim:

1. A surface treating machine comprising a wheeled carriage, a housing tiltably mounted on said carriage about an axis extending transversely thereof, a rotary surface treating element rotatably mounted in the forward end of said housing, an electric motor tiltably mounted on said housing about an axis extending transversely thereof below the axis of rotation of said motor and having a drive connection to said surface treating element, said drive connection comprising pairs of drive pulleys having different speed ratios and operatively connected to the rotary parts of said electric motor and surface treating element respectively and a drive belt arranged to connect corresponding pulleys of said pairs, a spring coil partially supporting said motor, and means for adjusting said spring coil to vary the position of said electric motor relative to said housing to maintain the tension of said drive belt.

2. A surface treating machine comprising a wheeled carriage, a housing tiltably mounted on said carriage about an axis extending transversely thereof, a rotary surface treating element rotatably mounted in the for ward end of said housing, an electric motor tiltably mounted on said housing about an axis extending transversely thereof below the axis of rotation of said motor and having a drive connection to said surface treating element, said drive connection comprising pairs of drive pulleys having different speed ratios and operatively connected to the rotary parts of said electric motor and surface treating element respectively and a drive belt arranged to connect corresponding pulleys of said pairs, :1 spring coil partially supporting said motor, means for adjusting said spring coil to vary the position of said electric motor relative to said housing to maintain the tension of said drive belt, an exhaust fan unit mounted on said housing, and a dust conduit extending longitudinally of said housing and opening at its forward end adjacent said surface treating element and at its rear end to said exhaust fan unit.

3. A surface treating machine comprising a wheeled carriage, a housing tiltably mounted on said carriage about an axis extending transversely thereof, a rotary surface treating element rotatably mounted in the forward end of said housing, an electric motor tiltably mounted on said housing about an axis extending transversely thereof below the axis of rotation of said motor and having a drive connection to said surface treating element, said drive connection comprising pairs of drive pulleys having different speed ratios and operatively connected to the rotary parts of said electric motor and surface treating element respectively and a drive belt arranged to connect corresponding pulleys of said pairs, a spring coil partially supporting said motor, means for adjusting said spring coil to vary the position of said electric motor relative to said housing to maintain the tension of said drive belt, an exhaust fan unit mounted on said housing, a dust conduit extending longitudinally of said housing and opening at its forward end adjacent said surface treating element and at its rear end to said exhaust fan unit, a pick-up plate hingedly connected to the underside of said housing at the forward end of said dust conduit and extending towards the rear side of said surface treating element, stop means on said carriage for limiting the downward movement of said pick-up plate, and means for resiliently moving said pick-up plate towards said stop means.

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